Behavior of Wooden Based Insulations at High Temperatures

Insulation materials may give a different contribution to the fire resistance of timber frame assemblies. At present, Eurocode 5 Part 1-2 [1] provides a model for fire design of the load bearing function of timber frame assemblies with cavities completely filled with stone wool. The extension of this model for glass wool for post protection phase has been published in the European technical guideline Fire Safety in Timber Buildings [2]. Very little is known about the protection of bio-based insulation materials. Eight model scale furnace tests of floor specimens were carried out. Two different design tools to calculate the charring rate of timber frame assemblies insulated with wooden based insulations are provided. The first one is a design model for timber frame assemblies insulated with batt-type and loose fill cellulose fiber insulations. The second tool includes the functions of conductivity, specific heat and loss in mass against the temperature calibrated on the standard fire curve to implement advanced heat transfer calculations. The purpose is to give the designers two design procedures with a different level of complexity and accuracy.